


unit of analysis

by hydrobates



Series: case studies on the entities' effect on daemons [2]
Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Daemons, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Daemon Separation, M/M, Non Consensual Daemon Touching, Set in Episodes 159-160 | Scottish Safehouse Period (The Magnus Archives), talk of What Peter Lukas Did, the start of some healing i promise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:08:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24183391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hydrobates/pseuds/hydrobates
Summary: After coming out of the Lonely, Jon still feels like things are off.
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist
Series: case studies on the entities' effect on daemons [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1745374
Comments: 2
Kudos: 59





	unit of analysis

**Author's Note:**

> you can read this without reading [pelagic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24007564), but i do recommend it!  
> this also assumes you get what daemons are and the cultural taboos abt them!

After coming out of the Lonely, Jon still feels like things are off.

Well, to his credit, things  _ were _ off. Elias- _ Jonah  _ was out of prison, the institute was crawling with police trying to figure out what the hell happened, and Daisy was gone. Nowhere to be seen. 

Basira was the one to take charge and tell him and Martin to scram, she could deal with the police best, and they needed to stay the hell away from Jonah's sight. Peter Lukas' voice saying "oh, he got you" made a prickle of heat spread on the back of his neck, like someone was watching him. 

Whatever Jonah's plans are, Jon would not walk into it blindly. At least he hopes not to. 

* * *

Excerpt from Separation: A study on the Effects of Changes in Bond Length between Daemon and Humans, written by Trisha Cunningham and Awreinsh, Professor of Physical Daemon studies at the University of Cambridge: “People who have had been separated from their daemons, or have had their bond stretched, can find that their interactions with their daemon may change. Whether that be unconscious or not, this may be because of the circumstances of the separation.”

“Have you all settled in?” 

Martin pops his head in from the “living” room, a room just barely furnished and filled with whatever would make Daisy comfortable for the few times she would stay in it, not really looking into making it furnished for other people to see it. As such, it's got furniture and dishes cobbled together from thrift shops, none of it really to a standard where Jon would say is “presentable,” but it’ll do as a home for the two of them for the moment. 

“Hm?” Jon was waylaid by Knowing what types of creatures come to make a home in the things you leave untouched for a while that he’s just barely opened up his suitcase. 

“Oh, Not yet, just took a look around first.” He wasn’t  _ lying _ , per se. The Beholding did give him some information about the house without having to look around, so in a sense he did have a Look around.

“Just wondering, since the place has one bed, if you’d want it or not? I mean, I don’t mind taking the couch, if you’d want the bed-” 

“No, no, I don’t- I don’t mind. Sharing a bed I mean.” Jon was almost surprised with his own words, but didn’t try to stop the ball once it’s rolling.

“You- You're sure? I mean, Ev prefers to sleep in a separate place, and I don't know how Kal feels about it, so. A-and i really don't mind the couch, promise.” 

“I prefer to sleep in a separate place as well, so you don’t have to worry.” A beat. “Would you like to- sleeping together with you would be nice Ev, if you'd like to do that.” Kahalani was cautious with his words. Making sure he gave Martin an out- after all, they were just starting their relationship. Still drawing boundaries and finding out what’s good or not. 

“She’ll be fine with that, I think. I wouldn’t mind sleeping with you either. You much of a cuddler?” 

“With my build? More people ask me to stay away than come close.” 

‘Well, I’ll get to getting the bed ready, maybe you can get a statement in? Get your appetite filled?”

“Yeah, I got you, thanks, Martin.” An answering hum, and Martin is away to get the room ready for rest. 

It wasn’t until mid statement that Jon realizes something. Ev didn’t talk once in the conversation, even when Kalahani talked to her. It made him give a rare pause in the middle of reciting to think about things. 

Martin and Evailien were affected by the Lonely, that much is obvious. Past statements have told of people whose daemons were able to move farther away from them after leaving the fog-filled fear. 

Compared to when Jon “died,” Ev was oddly quiet. It was normal, he thought, when the wound was fresh but surely there was some healing done between then and now? But Ev hasn’t said more than a few words at a time. 

Jon ponders on this and looks at Kalahani. The daemon, as soon as he could, would never stop talking to Jon after he woke up. Jon never saw Kal in his dreams (what that means for him he’d rather not know) and it simply made their bond stronger, if anything. Kal never left his side before, but now it was as if their bodies were one, Kal never leaving his spot on Jon’s shoulders. 

“Statement ends.” he sighed, taking a deep breath. Now that he’s eaten, maybe he could put that energy to figuring out what was going on with Martin and Ev.

* * *

"Traumatic separations, or intercisions (Calladan, 2005), often shortens the lifespan of both parties. There have been very few cases where those separated from their daemon are able to survive for more than a few days, much less a week (Downer et al., 1987). Obviously, this type of separation is not very well researched, as intercisions are highly unethical.”

* * *

There are times where Jon doesn’t even see the two of them together.

During the entire process of coming back, packing, and the trip to leave, Ev had been glued to Martin’s side, weak webbed feet clutching to her human so tight, like she was afraid someone would separate the two of them again. 

But in Daisy’s safehouse, there are times where Jon would hear the shower running, but Ev was still there with Kalahani in their small makeshift bed on the floor, Ev’s soft breathing giving Jon some small comfort at the jarring sight of Ev being so far away from her human.

Before the coma, before the Unknowing, Jon’s bond could barely stretch far- no more than a meter of a half before a burning feeling started to well in his chest. 

He brings it up one night when Martin was cooking dinner, Evailien in Jon’s lap while Kalahani drapes himself on his shoulder. Seeing him quietly making dinner was in stark contrast to his memories of Martin making tea in the employee’s break room, making small conversation with Ev on the counter. 

As he helped bring the plates to the table (a favourite of both of theirs- green curry with chicken over rice, the rich smell of it didn’t entice him as it used to, but it was still good to eat). Letting the two of them sit down to avoid a mess ( _ the spices in curry are often used in dyes that can often- _ yes, thank you, beholding). 

"So, Ev?" Kalahani ventures lightly, trying to start the conversation casually. 

"Hm?" The bird hummed, looking more interested in what she could see outside the kitchen window than whatever was happening at the table.

“The distance between you two,” Jon points at human and daemon with his spoon in between bites, “How long has- I want to know when it all happened.” 

A pause. Martin doesn’t seem to know what to say, and Evailien doesn’t either. Jon’s upset not notice that they don’t even look at each other. In fact, Ev trembles slightly, as if the act of not moving is making her give everything she has into it.

Martin shrugs it off, taking another spoonful of food, Jon Knows he’s doing it to avoid talking and wants to Know  _ why _ he was hiding this thing, but that would be crossing the line they already established. 

Kalahani drops from his place on Jon’s shoulders and moves to curl around Ev, the storm petrel nuzzling into the pine marten’s fur. She was still as washed out, warm browns instead of the dark grays Jon could remember.

The rest of dinner was quiet.

* * *

“....That is not to say that there aren’t people who have longer Bonds and still have a good relationship with their daemons. Witches, though not human but are very human-like, go through a ritual that lengthens the Bond between their daemon and them, but still have a positive relationship with them (Haines et al., 2001).”

* * *

Jon was never sure about his timing of bringing important things up. 

This time, the two of them were leaning on each other on the couch, doing their own things, daemons curled up together as they usually were these days. 

“Martin?” 

“Hm?” He didn’t look up from the journal he was writing in. 

It took a lot of thought to make the words sound non-threatening. Jon was sure it didn’t come out right, nonetheless. “I just thought- maybe we should talk. About Evailien.” 

Mortin squints at his own writing, Jon wants to smooth the wrinkles that formed in between his eyebrows, but he needs to focus. 

“What about her?” 

“See- that’s the problem.” Jon sirts up straight, and Martin puts his journal to the side. They had each other’s full attention now. 

“You’re still distant, with her. You both weren’t like this before.” 

Martin lets out a soft laugh, mouth twisted in a wry smile. “It comes with being Lonely.” 

“Yes but- You both weren’t, you’re both still distant. It doesn’t feel right.” Martin looks angry at that. 

It shocks them both when Ev lets out a rough laugh, Kalahani untwists his body from Ev’s, looking at the bird strangely. “Things haven't  _ been _ right for a long while.”

“Yes, things aren't- aren’t _ normal _ , not since Jane Prentiss, but things are different with you two!” Kal’s fur is almost puffed up from anger. “Ev, this is the first time I heard you talk in a long time, and sometimes you won’t even look at Martin. What is going on?”   


There is silence for a good while as daemon and human think, and Jon thinks that this is the most Martin’s even looked in Ev’s direction. Kalahani skitters to be in Jon’s hold, his hand brushing the fluffed-up fur down into their natural state. 

“You died is what happened!” 

“No, Jon, you wanted me to talk so I will! You died, our mom died, we had to do something to keep the institute safe and Peter. Peter was there, he could do something. You couldn’t.” She quieted, body quivering. 

“We thought it was a good way to die. I didn’t feel like, like I had something to live  _ for _ .”

“That was worse than death and _ you know it _ .” There was so much venom in her words; Jon was surprised she could have that much malice for her own human.

“What?  **_What did Peter Lukas do_ ** ?” He couldn’t help the bit of compelling that laced the last question. If something worse than death happened, then he had to know. He couldn’t kill Peter Lukas again, but he can be glad he died by Jon’s own hand. 

“He-” It looked like Martin doesn’t want to say it, but he’s compelled to. “He held Ev.” The daemon shuddered, feathers ruffled.

Kal curled up into a ball in Jon’s arms, Jon was keenly aware of where he was, what he was touching. ”Martin-”

“It was a kind of exercise, he said. He was trying to make me feel alone even with my own soul. First it was his daemon touching mine and being in different rooms and things like that but then. It escalated.” Martin’s hands were distractedly fiddling with a loose thread on his shirt while Evailien preens her feathers back in place. 

“It was just something we had to do after the Flesh attacked. I didn’t know there was anything else to do, and by the time you woke up it was too late. I was in too deep.” Kal uncurled to watch the other daemon. He wanted, desperately, to run over and give comfort, but he wasn't sure if she could handle being touched right then. 

“God, I'm sorry, Martin, I really am.” Jon touched Martin’s arm, leaning forward with ams open to signal a hug, and Martin took it, crushing their bodies together in a tight hug. The man almost openly sobbed into Jon’s shoulder, and Jon could only comfort him the best way he could, long strokes with his hand in a rhythm on Martin’s back, a steadying gesture. 

“It’s not your fault, not really.” Martin mumbled into Jon’s shoulder. He rubbed the tears away from his eyes, and Jon tucked a stray curl behind his ear. 

“Ev… I’m sorry I let him touch you like that, I promise. Well, I promise we won’t be in a situation where it has to happen again, alright?” Martin cupped his hands and Ev easily flew into the space, getting comfortable. 

“...There’s more we have to work on, but i’ll accept that.” If birds could smile, Jon was sure Evailien was. Martin brought the bird close to his face, close enough to kiss her head.

“Missed you.”

“Missed you too.”

* * *

"The bond length cannot be shortened once it's been extended, but the *bond* between human and daemon can be fixed. Most find use in a cognitive behavioral therapy that deals with the cause of the trauma- the root of what caused the bond to stretch. Though the first step is to seek out help and see that there  _ is _ a problem. With time and work, the human and daemon may heal together, for the betterment of themselves."

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> GOD i wrote this and didnt even really touch on jon touching ev and it not hurting. and now i have a bunch of plot bunnies in my head. writing was a mistake
> 
> jon: kalahani, kal/han, male pine marten  
> martin: evailien, ev, female fork-tailed storm petrel


End file.
